WELCOMEBAK: 2013 Year in Review

Year in Review - "top 3" for each category

Summary
1. 5th year living in D.C. area
2. 2nd anniversary married to Tom
3. Now have 13 nieces and nephews! (photo: baby Grace and baby Jane meeting each other)

Favorite Quotes I read this year
1. "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler." - Einstein

2. "... that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." - Gettysburg Address, 150th Anniversary

3. "Always, my first question was, what's the goal?" Then, who must be persuaded if it is to be accomplished? A respectful dialogue with one's opponent almost invariably goes further than a harangue outside his or her window. If you want to change someone's mind, you must understand what shapes his or her opinion. To prevail, you must first listen.” - Justice Sonia Sotomayor, My Beloved World

Family Events
1. Everyone together in KC, December

2. Family time in Colorado, July

3. Ingebritson nephews living nearby

Travel Moments
1. 12 mile hike in the Grand Canyon

2. Tom's 35th birthday in New Orleans -strangers gave him money. We learned it's a NOLA birthday tradition.

3. Biking around on a Fall day through Portland, Oregon

Hiking and Climbing
1. Climbing at Mt. Lemon, Tucson, Arizona

2. Hiking a 14,000+ foot mountain, Quandary Peak, Colorado

3. Hiking to Herbert Hoover's retreat, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia

Boating/Water
1. Stand-up Paddleboarding the Potamac River, Virginia

2. Canoeing Lake Moomaw, Virginia

3. Sailing the Chesapeake, Maryland

Biking
1. Rock Creek Park bike loop VA-MD-DC. Finally figured this one out!

2. Baltimore-Annapolis Trail, Maryland

3. W&OD Trail and Custis Trail, Arlington-Vienna, Virginia. A favorite.

Hotels
1. Greenbrier, Sulphur Springs, West Virginia

2. Riverside Inn, Bend, Oregon
3. National Park Service Training Center, Grand Canyon, Arizona

New Places
1. Yale Campus, New Haven

2. Mt. Adams, Washington

3. New Orleans, Louisiana

Work Projects
1. Gilchrist State Forest, Oregon - helping Oregon protect and manage a 70,000 acre forest, its first new state forest in 60 years.

2. San Juan Islands National Historic Park, Washington.

3. First State National Monument - The President used the Antiquities Act to establish Delaware's first National Park unit. Delaware was the only state without National Park presence before this National Monument was created. One of the official photos includes Tom and I canoeing the Brandywine River through the National Monument.

Notable DC Moments

1. Inauguration. Attended with mother-in-law

2. Took "Flat Stanley" on a tour of DC (for MC's school project)

3. The Government Shutdown in October was notable, but I would not call it a highlight!

New Habits
1. Planned ahead more: meals, clothes, other
2. Standing desk for at least part of the day.
3. Gym class and Farmer's Market on Saturday mornings.

Books - Biographies I Enjoyed
1. Alexander Graham Bell: Reluctant Genius, Charlotte Gray